Senator says material overstates his support

12:02 AM,
Oct. 18, 2012

Sen. Richard Lugar

Written by

Maureen Groppe and Jill Disis
| Gannett Washington Bureau

Sen. Richard Lugar is distancing himself from a campaign mailer that says he backs state Treasurer Richard Mourdock to replace him and that Lugar is "looking to a new leader to keep Indiana moving forward."

The mailer - which shows one hand passing a torch to another - is being distributed by a super PAC that spent $134,014 to help Mourdock defeat Lugar in the Republican primary.

Lugar said after his defeat that he hopes Mourdock wins in November because he wants Republicans to take control of the Senate. But he also said Mourdock won't be an effective senator unless he drops his position that ...